Unified Sports

Special Olympics Unified Sports® creates an opportunity for people without intellectual disabilities to join in the sports experience by playing on a team with athletes with intellectual disabilities. Not only do the players all have fun, but attitude change and transformation happens on the playing field and the experiences create lifelong friendships.

Unified Sports® combines approximately equal numbers of Special Olympics Athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (called Partners) on sports teams for training and competition. Age and ability matching of athletes and partners is defined on a sport-by-sport basis.

The concept of combining athletes with intellectual disabilities and those without was first introduced in the mid-1980s to provide another level of challenge for higher ability athletes and to promote equality and inclusion.

Unified Sports® enables Special Olympics athletes to:

Learn new sports

Develop higher-level sports skills

Have new competition experiences

Experience meaningful inclusion (each athlete is ensured of playing a valued role on the team)

Socialize with peers and form friendships

Participate in their communities leading to choices outside of Special Olympics

Special Olympics Unified Sports®

If you are interested in the unique opportunity to become a Unified Partner, please follow the normal steps involved in becoming a volunteer by contacting the local Program nearest to you. When you are contacted by the appropriate Special Olympics Pennsylvania staff or volunteer, just mention your specific interest in Unified Sports®. Learn more about our Unified Sports Procedures (roster, divisioning, and awarding).

If you have questions or seek additional information on Unified Sports within Pennsylvania please contact: Michelle Boone, SOPA Senior Sport Director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 610-630-9450 ext. 220.

Unified Sport Trainings:

If you are looking to start a Unified 7v7 Soccer team or any other Unified team sport, this webinar contains important information on the Principles of Unified Sports, recruitment strategies for athletes and partners, team composition, best practices and coaching strategies to ensure that all teammates are meaningfully involved.

What is Interscholastic Unified Sports?

Special Olympics Pennsylvania Interscholastic Unified Sports (IUS) is a fully-inclusive co-ed high school sports program which successfully facilitates social inclusion by bringing together a proportional number of students with and without intellectual disabilities on teams for training and competition. Click here to learn more!

For more information about Interscholastic Unified Sports, please contact Jennifer Tresp, Training and Unified Sports Director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..